POV: Trigger

I let my hand hang there, she stared at it for a moment, and her eyes changed back to their normal color and her hair was… floating upwards, because of course it would.

Her gauntlet also changed back to simply being Gold Rush. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

She laughed boisterously and hopped back on her feet. I had to step back to not crash with her.

With her left hand on her hip, she kept the laugh up for a while. I glanced back to the completely confused Ryn and Justine, who were now behind Ryn.

"Ah, seems like you are getting through her, Companion." Ryn whipped around to see Justine, her confusion becoming even bigger. Not that I was any better myself, how did this qualify as 'getting through her'?

Noticing my confusion, she… sighed in exasperation, "How to put it… 'Happiness' has a fighter's mentality." I kept staring at her, making it clear that I had no idea where she was going with this.

She looked at Kin- Happiness? ...And then back at me, "She talks with her fists."

Letting that run through my head, it finally clicked, "She wants to fight me again… to understand me?" I wasn't sure that was going to fly with the Manager and literally everyone else.

Ryn looked at this scene with a completely 'I'm done' expression before drawing her sword, "Okay, let's NOT do that… it's what I would like to say if I was suicidal." She finished when 'Happiness' stopped laughing and stared at Ryn only, while Justine just put a hand on her shoulder while shaking her head in a 'What can you do?' manner.

"'Justice' is right! Only in the heat of the moment do I truly feel like I can understand anything!" She is also a lot louder now. I glanced behind me again before just going along with… this.

Justine clapped her hands together, "Then let me make sure you don't cause more collateral damage." Her seven swords appeared and moved around the hallway, before stabbing themselves on the floor around me and 'Happiness'.

Forming some kind of… ethereal barrier, it almost seemed like the night sky filled with stars. I slowly looked back at Justine, wondering since WHEN could she do this, "I wouldn't be a good knight without some kind of shield." She responded at my incredulous stare.

Well… fair enough.

Turning back to see 'Happiness' staring at me with a big and bright smile on her face, she seemed eager in a more sane way than before… wasn't she afraid of me moments ago?

"It has been ages since a man had left me weak on the knees, and eager for more! This would certainly test my stamina to its limits, I'm getting excited already!" My mind had some kind of malfunction when she spoke. I genuinely felt like I suffered some kind of blackout when she spoke.

"Does she...?" I heard Ryn behind me.

Justine sighed, "'Happiness' is… very free-spirited and uses the most unusual words to convey her thoughts and feelings." I glanced back with a blank stare.

"Justine… that would have been nice to know." I replied, and suddenly she reacted weirdly. Looking away in embarrassment, like she was expecting something bad to happen.

Blinking at the reaction, I felt a burst of excitement from 'Happiness', "Magnificent name! Let's make this more interesting! If you win, I'll let you brand me as you did with 'Justice'… no, Justine!"

Coughing like I was suddenly being forced to eat a turtle's shell, I looked at 'Happiness' with complete and utter… bafflement. I could FEEL Ryn doing her best impression of a dead fish, and Justine was suppressing the need to put down the barrier she made and beat 'Happiness' within an inch of her life.

I'm… afraid to ask, but, "What happens if you win?" She smiled at me. This time, I had to actually wonder why… she seemed so… oh.

"Then I'll take you with me, so you can feel all the pleasures of me!" She said that with so much confidence too… and our reaction varied.

"Oh my god, a time and a fucking place!" Ryn was just done with today.

"I'm going to throttle you, 'Happiness'!" Justine showed that even she had a breaking point.

"Shameless whore." Someone deadpanned… wait, was that Beth?

Me? I just stared at her for about five seconds, before deciding to ask for context, "And that means?" I was worried she was going to say som-

"All the foods I know! All the places I've been and so much more!"

Huh… for a moment there I actually thought-

"And the pleasures of becoming a man!" Never FUCKING mind, then.

I took a deep breath and let it out, "I'm not going to do that last one." Making that statement flatly, 'Happiness' blinked a couple of times.

Before smiling again, "That is fine, I wouldn't want to force myself on you!" That's… I'm going to just take that as a win.

She took a stance, left foot forward and gauntlet low and behind her. Weirdly, her left arm, which had nothing, was in front of her. It was clear she was completely going to focus on the attack, because only an idiot would block with their bare hands…

I lowered my body, legs ready to spring forward, and throw myself at her. The claws of Primal Impulse were ready with an idea floating in my head. I did take note that I must have looked like a wolf, about to pounce on her.

After a moment of silence, my body moved, and I threw a swing of my claws upwards spinning with my legs, waist and shoulders to throw as much force as I could. Four golden and distorting arcs came from my swing, I was essentially using the abilities of my gauntlet in a different way.

Instead of opening gates in space, I was cutting space.

She blinked at the fast moving projectiles while I dashed right behind them.

'Happiness' smiled, and four golden circles appeared in front of her when my attack collided with them. It seemed like the 'cuts in space' I threw were forcibly knitted… if I had to guess, the moment my attacks touched her circles, she closed them and basically 'repaired' the cuts I made.

My claws lashed out, and she threw an uppercut with her gauntlet, parrying my blow. Her free arm moved, preparing for a punch, while I used my own to grab it, to put my palm on her bicep, and stop it before the attack ever begun.

I felt a shift, she rammed her left shoulder into me. I already had my hand on her, so I abandoned my hold on her to put my forearm up and block it, then I saw the golden gauntlet coming from above. 'Happiness' kept pushing me, I spun on my heel while using my left hand to grab the side of her head and change our positions.

Her face slammed against the barrier, and before I could do anything else, a kick landed on my stomach. I jumped back and threw another four arcs with my claw with one swing.

She fell down to the floor. No, she opened a circle below her and left through it, I turned around to see 'Happiness' with her gauntlet reared back with a fiery golden aura around it. So that's how it looks like.

My veins bulged from using the powers of my second heart, and my own gauntlet manifested a fiery aura. A lot more wild in its movements, I clenched Primal Impulse into a fist and threw a punch just as she did.

Our clash rattled the air and a golden shockwave covered us, but I took note as how the surrounding barrier seemingly… let the attack continue inside of it, like the power dispersed between the stars.

'Happiness' was thrown back, and she landed on her feet, while the floor on my feet… somehow didn't crack. Probably the barrier then.

'Happiness' hummed for a moment… I blinked when she changed her stance. Her gauntlet was positioned upwards in front of her, almost like a shield. Her right leg forward and left one slightly back, her left arm was on the back, almost like a side weapon.

That seems… like some form of Karate? It was weird how she focused so much on offense and suddenly took such a defensive stance.

I approached slowly and saw she made no move. I threw a swipe with Primal Impulse, and she parried the attack with her gauntlet, sliding it off on my own and using her palm to push down, putting me off balance.

She grabbed the back of my head with her left hand and pulled me down to hit me with a knee to the head. I rose my forearm and blocked the blow, feeling the hit rattle my arm.

I wrapped my arm around her leg and went for a takedown. However, I felt her other leg wrap around my head, and suddenly I was looking at the ceiling. Reacting quickly, I opened a tear in space, and we fell through it rather than hitting the floor.

Landing against the floor, my head was pressing against her stomach, and I hear her gasp in pain. Flipping over her body, I smashed with my gauntlet, fingers spread apart, and each of my claws digging into the floor near her head. 'Happiness' looked up at me with wide eyes, I released a breath full of steam and turned off the power of my second heart.

"I think this is my win." I commented, trying to hide just how much my chest was killing me right now. My second heart was essentially trying to beat so fast it would break my ribs and tear my lungs apart.

'Happiness' blinked and laughed out loud, "I concede! You have made my heart beat with the truest of joy, Dear!" I ignored the last part, mainly because I just know she is not going to stop calling me that… a gut feeling.

I pulled back my arm and offered my hand, which she took earnestly. The barrier was down, and I saw Beth who… narrowing my eyes for a moment, I noticed how her emotions seemed to be in turmoil, but the more prominent one was anger.

But at what?

"AGH!" I looked at 'Happiness' rubbing the back of her head. She was hit by Justine with a punch, of all things.

"Must you always be so crude?" She asked, 'Happiness' only huffed and crossed her arms, Gold Rush disappearing in motes of golden light.

"I prefer to be called honest, thank you very much..." They kind of act like sisters…

Looking away from that, I saw Ryn sighing and sheathed her blade before making eye contact with me. She quickly looked away and walked out from here with a frown on her face, and fear in her heart.

Fear of me if what I felt was accurate. I guess that was to be expected.

Looking at Beth, she walked up to me with a weird expression on her face, "Angela and Malkuth wants to meet you after work… the others will be there as well. They… have a lot to talk about." Those two? Together? What the hell did I miss when I was going crazy?

Watching her walk away, I kept myself from following after her. Seems like the end of today is going to be… hectic.

Turning around, I saw Justine walking past me, "I have to go back to my 'prison', lest people start to act rashly. It was nice meeting you again, 'Happiness'. I wish you good luck, Companion." Her smile was a lot more vibrant, too.

'Happiness' was literally next to me with a smile on her face, "Alright Dear, what will you brand me as?" She means a name, she means a name, she means a FUCKING name.

Sighing, I opened a tear in front of me that takes us to her chamber, "How about… Joy?" I threw that name out with a small smile.

Her smiled doubled in size, and she jumped at me, hanging from my neck with a hug, "Perfect! From now on, I'm your Joy!" I'm just going to have to get used to the way she speaks, aren't I?

She lets go and grabbed my left hand with both her arms, a small golden glow coming from it. When she let go, I saw my hand covered in a black glove with a gold ring around it, surrounding my palm and the back of my hand. In the middle of the back of my hand and around the gold ring was a glowing golden diamond shaped gem.

"A sign of our deep connection, Dear!" She winked at me and went through the tear with a hop. I took a deep breath and let it out.

Getting used to her… is going to be harder than expected. I walked into the tear too, at least today should be over for now at least.